Redemption
by ivoryebony
Summary: Pein's invasion ends in a way nobody expected, and the infamous criminal disappears. Three years later Naruto becomes Rokudaime, Sasuke is accepted back into the village, and a redheaded man is found near Konoha. Can Nagato finally redeem himself?


Redemption

Prologue

**A/N**: This is where Pein/Nagato and Naruto have their final confrontation in Shippuden (sp), and Nagato tells Naruto his story and why he has his twisted ideology of peace. I'm sorry I can't write the whole thing, because I never read it or saw it, I merely know what happens. If someone gives me the Shippuden episode, maybe I'll be able to rewrite it. Anyway…Naruto has already convinced Nagato to believe in Naruto, and to believe in Naruto's idea of peace, that he will become Hokage and bring peace to the world.

"I…will…believe in you…Uzumaki Naruto." Nagato murmured. "Please do me a favour." He said.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Naruto said defiantly.

"The body of my Deva path…it's very important to me, please return it to me right now."

"So you could use it to kill me?" Naruto sneered. "Yeah, I'm going to do that."

"No," Nagato shook his head. "It means a lot to me, sentimental value," he looked at Naruto pleadingly, and the Jinchuuriki frowned.

"Fine, but if you trying anything…" Naruto trailed off meaningfully. He created a shadow clone, and instructed his double to retrieve the ginger-haired body.

"Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto. You are truly a great man. I believe that your dream of peace will become a reality."

The shadow clone arrived after a short while, carrying the body of the Deva path. Nagato stared at the corpse with a tender emotion in his eyes, and Naruto looked at the body, confused. The body seemed to be in peaceful slumber, bright hair falling innocently over closed eyes, long lashes lying against pale lids on the delicate, beautiful face.

Nagato focused, and strained to get his hands out of the machine to perform a final hand seal.

"What are you doing?" Naruto stopped him before he could do anything.

"You remind me of myself…and him. I will help you. I will return those who have been lost to you." Nagato stated.

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"With my Rinnegan, I can…return the souls to the bodies of the recently dead, and heal their immediate injuries with more chakra. I will return your precious people."

Naruto blinked at him, and suddenly offered a smile. "I believe that you are within redemption, Nagato." He whispered, and placed his hands on the emaciated body. "I will help you; I will lend you my chakra."

"You trust me enough to give me your chakra?" Nagato raised a dark eyebrow.

"I don't trust you," Naruto said seriously. "But you have to keep your enemies closer than your friends."

Nagato gave a weary smile, and focused his and Naruto's chakra, making a complex set of hand seals. "Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Jutsu)," he said, simply for Naruto's sake. He needed the blonde to know that the jutsu would do what he had said, that he wasn't tricking Naruto for something selfish and destructive.

Naruto scrutinized the red-head, he gave his chakra willingly into Nagato's body, for some reason, his instinct was telling him that the Akatsuki leader could be trusted, at least right now.

Besides…the jutsu he had said did seem to fit his description. He saw Nagato's brows crinkle, and all the metal rods in his body began to glow. His face contorted slightly, and his hair began to gray ever so slowly, his gaunt figure becoming even thinner. He knew that the jutsu would've killed him if Naruto hadn't lent him his chakra, it was such a noble act Naruto did, considering the dangers of such an action.

"There." Nagato said; he felt so tired…Naruto looked at him, he was feeling tired too, though compared to Nagato's silver-streaked hair and skeletal frame, he was fairing much better.

Suddenly, Naruto felt warmth in his body, and Nagato's hair became white, his body even more emaciated. "I have given you my remaining power; I've left just a bit to sustain my life…for now. I have brought back your friends."

"What about Jiraiya?" Naruto asked boldly and hesitantly.

"He died too long ago," Nagato answered almost remorsefully, shaking his head. "It's impossible to resurrect him now, though if I could bring back the long-ago dead…" he looked at the body of the Deva path again with longing in his eyes. Naruto had the feeling that the person-it was hard to think of the body Nagato controlled as a person-had been important to Nagato, probably a friend.

"Will you kill me now?" Nagato inquired, sounding almost hopeful.

Naruto shook his head. "Like I said, you're within redemption…I think. Especially with what you just did," Naruto said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Nagato's dark eyes looked piercingly into Naruto's blue ones.

"Why are you asking me this?" Naruto retorted. He knew that if Nagato asked him even one more time, he would not be able to deny the pleasure of having his worst enemy killed. After all, Nagato had killed his sensei, his fellow Jinchuuriki friend, countless comrades, and razed his village to the ground. Naruto was showing a lot mercy to let him live, though it was a privilege Nagato didn't deserve, and required a kindness that was wearing Naruto out.

Nagato looked and sounded like an old man when he answered. "Because I finally realized, that all those years I lived…I haven't been living, I've merely existed. All my dreams of peace, perhaps they're merely my selfish believes to get revenge back at the world. Vengeance is a horrible thing, so is the Rinnegan." His eyes seemed to glow, as if denying the statement. "I believe it's time for me to live again." He said, and made a hand seal.

"Shit!" was Naruto's only thought as he saw the action, but was too late to stop it, "What was I thinking? Giving him my chakra…idiot! Now he's going to do something to kill us all! I have to stop him!"

But he could do nothing but watch with horrific fascination as Nagato's body glowed briefly before crumpling like paper, and finally disintegrating into dust, "What the hell?!" Naruto yelled.

The body lying on the ground stirred, and opened clear blue eyes. Naruto gave a rather feminine squeak and dramatically exclaimed, "What's going on?!"

"I transferred my soul into this body." Nagato replied, as if that mystifying answer would solve all of Naruto's problems and answer all of his questions.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the man. He was truly amazing. Naruto admitted that without the Kyuubi's power and going into Sage Mode, there was no way he could defeat Nagato. Then again, he did use six bodies to fight, and controlled them perfectly.

"It sure feels strange to walk again…" Nagato murmured. "It's been so long." He said, and began to stride as gracefully as a gazelle.

"It doesn't look like it takes much effort." Naruto mumbled, and tried to mock-copy Nagato's fluid gait, only to stumble on a rock, and fall on his face. Nagato's full lips twitched, and he finally laughed, shocking Naruto and himself at the sound.

"To be human again…" Nagato whispered almost happily. "Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto, for giving me back my humanity.

"We're not best buddies now, Pein." Naruto's lip curled in disgust. "So stop trying to sound like it. I said you're within redemption, not that you've redeemed yourself already."

Nagato was silent and stoic throughout Naruto's sharp words.

"So you're not a god anymore, huh?" The blonde sneered.

"I was never a god," Nagato said, unaffected by Naruto's mocking tone and harsh expression. "I merely deluded myself into thinking so."

"Are you sorry?" Naruto asked directly, staring into blue eyes a shade lighter than his own.

Nagato hesitated, wondering on how to put his answer. "I'm not sorry about my goal, but I am about how I tried to achieve it."

The golden-haired shinobi frowned, not satisfied by the Akatsuki leader's answer. "A mountain of corpses and a river of blood is not peace. We have a peace now. If your idea of peace is to ruin stability indefinitely, to rule the world by nothing but fear, to strike hatred into everyone's hearts, then what's the point? You can't live forever, Nagato. When you die, there will be no one to succeed you, and your peace will be challenged and ruined again."

Nagato had no answer. "If it is alright with me, I shall take my leave." He began to walk away.

"Wait." Naruto commanded, and the redhead instinctively stopped. "Where are you going?" the Uzumaki crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't tell you that." Nagato smiled bleakly.

"I said I'd let you go." Naruto said with a steely edge in his voice. "Do you think I wouldn't keep my word?"

"I trust you to keep your word, but your fellow shinobi won't hesitate to get their revenge on me." Nagato said seriously.

"Of course," Naruto mused. "They'd kill you." The thought was really starting to appeal to him, so he quickly changed the subject. "How strong are you?"

Nagato contemplated his answer. "I lost the ability to use the Rinnegan, and without it, a large portion of my power is gone. I only retained Yahiko's abilities, and he was never…he's not what you would call strong."

"Why should I trust what you're saying?"

Nagato pointed to his eyes. "No Rinnegan. I'm in Yahiko's body, the chakra rods are rendered useless because my former body is gone-this is my body now."

"Come with me to Konoha." Naruto said in a futile attempt to subdue Nagato. "I'll try to convince them to spare you."

"You know I can't," Nagato shook his head. "You won't succeed, Naruto. You can't persuade them to do something like that, and I can't ask you to."

"I want you to promise then," said Naruto solemnly, "to not kill another person in anything but self-defense for the rest of your life." "Why should you trust what I'm saying?"Nagato twisted Naruto's words to use against him.

"Because that's all I can do," answered Naruto readily.

"I promise." The redhead answered without hesitation. "I doubt I could kill anyone but civilians and Genin in this body anyway." Naruto glared at him. "Not that I would want to." He added.

"Go. Go, Nagato. Go and find your freedom…and your humanity." Naruto said. "I'll say after you resurrected everyone, you died."

"Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto." Nagato said with emotion fuelling his grateful words. "And you'll keep your promise about peace? You'll become Hokage?"

"That's a promise of a lifetime." Naruto declared, and to Nagato's horror, flashed a more subdued version of the 'good guy' pose. "Even though it's you," Naruto added quietly, thinking Nagato wouldn't hear him, but his former enemy did. "And I never go back on my word!"

"I said I'd believe in you, Naruto, and I do. And I will." Nagato gave a genuine smile, and nodded before disappearing.

A/N: So…the story is going to yaoi, but not Nagato/Naruto. There will be other pairings, but besides Nagato's and Naruto's respective ones, they probably won't be major. If you think that Naruto is too OOC to give Pein his chakra, well think of it this way, think of how kind and selfless Naruto had proved himself over and over again. In the canon, he did say that he was going to break "the cycle of hatred" and spared Nagato's life. He showed mercy to his enemies a lot of times, that's the kind of person Naruto is. Besides, this story is fanfiction.

The chapters are going to be short, though I'll try to make them longer than this page. Please bear with me and any grammar or spelling mistakes. I'll try to satisfy people as much as I can, but this is my story and it's going to go the way I want. The title is talking about Nagato's journey into redemption, as he tries to redeem himself for his crimes.

Kudos to whoever guesses Nagato and Naruto's pairings! I hope you enjoy! :D


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